


Monster?

by sofa_and_stuff



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, GN!READER, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Haikyuu - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Other, haikyuu!! - Freeform, ooc kinda, tendou is Sad (tm)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26728441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofa_and_stuff/pseuds/sofa_and_stuff
Summary: Being the manager for Shiratorizawa’s volleyball club is a pretty fun job, especially when your boyfriend is a star player. But, what happens when you notice something is up with your boyfriend during practice? Does it have anything to do with the group of students forming around the gym doors?
Relationships: Tendou Satori/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 137





	Monster?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for Tendou, and I know he's a little (read: a lot) OOC. I just really wanted to explore what it'd be like for Tendou to be a lil bit insecure and sad :(

Practice seemed to be going well today. Ushijima was on top of his game (as usual), Semi was practicing some killer sets and serves, and out of the corner of your eye, you could see Tendou, your dear boyfriend, messing around with Goshiki. It seemed to be going so well today, in fact, that a small crowd of students had formed on the sidelines of the gym. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, per se, seeing as to how popular the volleyball club was around the school, but it was almost always a welcome surprise.

Today, however, it wasn’t.

A small group of boys stood around the doors to the gym, whispering little things amongst themselves. Tendou, though throwing a volleyball back and forth with Goshiki, had his eyes traced on the group. He recognized a boy there all too well, his face seared into his memory. He’d never forget it. After all, who forgets a childhood bully?

It didn’t really bother Tendou much, going to school with one of the boys who’d made him feel so ill at ease with himself during his younger years. Not anymore, not now that he’d found a place where he’d fit in, a family with his team. He’d found a best friend in Ushijima, and he’d even managed to get a significant other. What _did_ bother him was that this boy was invading his home, and that he could _hear_ everything that he was saying to his little group of peers on the sidelines.

“Man, that red-haired guy sure is a monster, huh?”

“Yeah, he _really is._ “ The boy sneered, eyes squinting towards Tendou. “I mean, for god's sake, his name is even _Satori_."

Tendou sucked in a breath, reminding himself that he was fine. He was having _fun_. He was at practice. He tried to focus on Goshiki, looking between him and the volleyball being passed between them. But his eyes couldn’t resist wandering back to the group of boys by the door, some kind of morbid current pulling him in.

That’s when he noticed you, sitting on a bench only a few feet away from his childhood bully and the group of boys surrounding him. What were you doing? Didn’t you _hear_ what they were saying about him? He knew that he was being a bit ridiculous in his head, but an irrational voice nagged at the back of his mind: why _weren't_ you defending him? Did you agree with those boys? I mean, sure, he _was_ called the "guess monster," and hell, the two of you were dating, but did you _agree_ with them? Did you think he was a monster, too?

Tendou’s mind raged on as practice continued, unable to fight off his insecurities caused by memories of his childhood bubbling up.

Unbekownst to your boyfriend, you were totally oblivious to anything going on around you. Coach Washijo had told you to take notes on practice today, and so you had. You’d become engrossed in watching your boys, the proud manager in you taking over every last bit of your mind. Everything was going so well today.

Finishing up some notes on Semi’s serves, you decided to go fill up some water bottles for the boys, realizing that, it being halfway through practice, they’d probably all been in need of a refill.

Making your way towards the gym doors, you were stopped by a group of boys, their quieted whispers coming to a lull as they all bored their eyes into you, looking you up and down. Throwing a strained smile on your face, you tried to push your way through their little group and towards the doors, only to be stopped by some of them trying to talk to you.

This wasn’t really that strange. You _were_ the volleyball club’s manager, and you were about as popular as any player on the team. Usually, though, when other boy’s had tried to garner your attention, Tendou would come up and help you escape. He wasn’t doing that now, though.

You glanced around, looking for your boyfriend’s face, only to find him with an unreadable expression. He looked confused and almost… hurt? Why wasn’t he coming over to whisk you away from these boys? You locked eyes with Tendou, trying to get him to come and help you, but he just stared blankly back at you.

After finally filling up the boys’ water bottles and handing them off (not missing the way Tendou could hardly look at you as you gave him his), you went back to taking notes. Deciding to focus more intently on your boyfriend, you realized that he kept messing up his guess blocking. Something was _definitely_ up with him.

When practice ended, Tendou rushed out, an uncharacteristically fast and quiet exit for your usually goofy boyfriend. Even stranger to you, he didn't stop to talk or ask you to hang out with him after practice. Usually he'd try to sneak you into his dorm so you could hang out with him and Ushijima for the rest of the night, but he’d left before even talking to you.

Worry crept into your mind. What was up with your boyfriend? Standing outside of the gym, lost deep in different explanations of why your boyfriend might be acting strangely, Ushijima placed a hand on your shoulder.

“You look upset,” Ushijima pointed at your eyebrows, which had started to scrunch up as you thought about your boyfriend’s behavior.

“Have you noticed anything up with Satori lately?” You questioned your friend, hoping that he had some reason as to why your boyfriend looked so distressed during practice. If you were being honest, on top of your worry, you were just the _slightest_ bit pissed at Tendou for the way he was acting. There was clearly something wrong all throughout practice, so why wasn’t he coming to talk to you? The two of you were dating, and behind Ushijima, you hoped that you were his closest friend.

“No,” never one for many words, Ushijima answered. “But, ah, you can come to our dorm, if you want?”

You smiled up at your stoic friend, nodding a quick yes.

The two of you walked in a comfortable silence, but Ushijima could practically hear your thoughts. Your eyebrows unconsciously furrowed, and you began to bite your lip out of nervousness. Damn, what the hell was up with Tendou? You just wanted to know what had happened that had caused that hurt look on his face.

When you get to Tendou’s shared dorm, Ushijima you gives some kind of half-excuse about having forgotten something in the gym before letting you in to see Tendou. Your harsh expression softens as you look at your boyfriend. He was sitting on his bed, cross-legged and staring blankly at the wall.

“Satori?” You call out before sitting down next to him when he doesn’t respond. “What’s up with you?”

Your boyfriend tilted his head slightly, but remained quiet.

You try prodding on a bit, letting your fingers intertwine with his.

“What was up at practice today? Usually you come rescue me from those boys who hang around the club, like some kinda uh… knight in shining armor?” You tried joking, only to have him blink and stare back at the wall.

Tendou’s body surged with guilt. You were right. Usually he did come and save you from uncomfortable situations with fanboys. And today, he’d willingly let someone he knew was _horrible_ make you feel uncomfortable.

It was all too much for Tendou; the guilt, the insecurity, the constant loop of his childhood memories replaying in his head.

Your boyfriend started to cry.

“Oh, Satori…” you whisper softly, taking your hand out of his and wrapping your arms around his body instinctively, “what’s wrong?”

Tendou rested his head against your shoulder, unable to stop the silent tears from welling up and falling down his cheeks.

Your boyfriend incoherently babbled on about the group of boys who were at practice, his voice quiet and broken, so different from his usual energetic, sweet tone. You caught one word, “monster,” and that was all you needed to hear. Tendou had told you about his childhood before, all the names he’d been called, all the ways he’d been made to feel out of place and lesser.

You shushed him, trying to get him to stop talking, cooing sweet nothings into his ear, that one word being more than enough of an explanation. You let Tendou keep crying, rubbing circles on his back until his tears stopped and all you could hear was the occasional sniffle.

You removed your arms from around Tendou, and almost regretted it when you saw a hurt look flash across his face. Turning your body to him on his bed, you took his hands in yours.

“Satori, listen.” He nodded hesitantly, still letting out little sniffles.

“I love you,” you started, kissing his left cheek, “with every fiber of my being…” you kissed his right cheek, then continued, “and—“ you kissed his nose, “—you are not,“ you softly kissed one corner of his mouth, “and never will be—“ you kissed the other corner, “—a monster.” You finished off your sentence by giving your boyfriend a quick (but sweet) peck on the lips, letting him sink back into your arms and rest his head against your chest. You moved slightly so that you could rest your back against the wall before fully melting into the embrace.

Hoping that you’d reassured your boyfriend, you raked your hand in his hair, softly running your fingers through it.

You saw the corners of your boyfriend’s mouth turn up in a small smile, and heard him start to hum a small tune. Smiling down at him, you relished in the moment, hoping that your boyfriend would never made to feel like a monster or have to talk to that horrible boy ever again.

As the evening rolled on, you and Tendou almost drifting off to dreamland, you heard a soft knock through the door before Ushijima’s head popped in.

“Have you figured out what’s up with… oh.” A smile curled on Ushijima’s lips as he noticed his best friend sleeping soundly, curled up in your arms.


End file.
